To betray, you must first belongâŠ
In June 1934, Kim Philby met his Soviet handler, the spy Arnold Deutsch. The woman who introduced them was called Edith Tudor-Hart. She changed the course of 20th century history.
Then she was written out of it.
Drawing on the Secret Intelligence Files on Edith Tudor-Hart, along with the private archive letters of Kim Philby, this finely worked, evocative and beautifully tense novel â by the granddaughter of Kim Philby â tells the story of the woman behind the Third Man.
A future classic:
THE TIMESâA fine achievementâ
WILLIAM BOYDâCompletely fascinating. A sophisticated and brilliantly constructed fictional retelling of a crucial relationship in 20th century espionage history. A tremendous achievementâ
âAtmospheric and rigorously researchedâSunday Times
LITERARY REVIEWâPersuasive⊠involving⊠impressiveâ
CHARLES CUMMINGâA fascinating contribution to the literature of the Cambridge spies by a clever, nimble writer with some genuine skin in the gameâ
i NEWSPAPERâComplex and powerfully written⊠a persuasive repurposing of the lives of real-life figuresâ
NEW STATESMANâA dextrous writer who gives her tale a quickening, thrillerish propulsionâ
ERIN KELLYâMother, lover, revolutionary, spy⊠Philbyâs stunning fourth novel thrusts this former bit-player in the Cambridge Spy scandal to the centre stage where she belongs⊠Her best book yetâ
SARAH VAUGHANâBlending SIS files and imagined letters from her grandfather, Philby shines a spotlight on Edith Tudor-Hart as activist, spy and often desperate single, working motherâ
MICK HERRONâCompletely absorbingâ
JANE SHEMILTâA tense and brilliantly structured story of power and intrigueâ
HOLLY WATTâUnforgettable⊠a fascinating exploration of a key moment in history and a stunning piece of fictionâ
One of âthe heirs to John le CarrĂ©âThe Times âA tremendous achievementâ WILLIAM BOYD Sunday TimesâBehold the new Golden Age of Spy Kingsâ